Nick Luck’s William Hill Blog: Magic could be Dancing home

The top broadcaster, journalist and William Hill ambassador has combed through Chester’s Friday card, making his selections.

DANCING MAGIC could well break his duck in style in Chester’s Day Three curtain raiser (1.30pm). His profile is an odd one, but he’s often been thrown in very deep, and there is some considerable form over this trip on a sound surface that makes his still appear pretty well treated. All the pieces are in place for him to perform to his optimum and his first run back after a breathing operation was very encouraging.

MR HAMPSTEAD can fulfil his abundant promise in the distance maiden (2.05pm). He has a nice Coolmore horse to beat – always hard here – but he is still in the Derby and has run two solid races for this yard, suggesting that a decent test will bring about a heap more improvement. His sister bolted up in the Cheshire Oaks last year and – for all she likes soft ground – much of the pedigree says that a faster surface should be fine.

WOODSTOCK CITY is a bit of a wild one in the ten furlong handicap (2.35pm), but I can’t resist a little each way. He was bought for a few quid at Arqana last year out of Christopher Head’s yard and is normally the type this stable can maximise. That said, his British runs have been largely undistinguished. He raced much more kindly on his most recent start, however, and has since been gelded. Now fully ten pounds lower than in the autumn, he’ll feel like he’s running loose here under Joe Fanning, gets a good draw, and has been gelded since his last run. Undoubtedly well handicapped, he could shock a few if it all hangs together.

HANS ANDERSEN looks a little overpriced in the Huxley (3.05pm). He has some very smart two year old form, was a little anonymous at three, but worked his way back with a pretty solid effort at Dundalk on his comeback. Early efforts and pedigree tell you he probably wants this sort of ground and he is completely unexposed when covering a bit of distance. Expect him to be aggressively ridden with a fitness edge over some.

FORZA ORTA gets a narrow vote over old foe Aztec Empire in the Chester Cup (3.40pm). While the latter was a bit unlucky not to beat him at York last year, Forza Orta is the less exposed of the pair as a stayer, and has had a lovely tune-up run over an unsuitable trip on soft ground. More to the point, he’s about twice the price. I firmly believe these are the two of most interest, but I can see both Palmer horses running well, particularly Zoffee, who has run screamers in stronger staying handicaps than this.